Communication apparatus, control method of communication apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable storage medium

ABSTRACT

A communication apparatus complying with an IEEE802.11 series standard, determines, based on information received from another communication apparatus connected to the communication apparatus, whether UL MU (Uplink Multiuser) communication of the other communication apparatus is enabled or disabled, acquires, from the other communication apparatus by a method according to a result of the determination, a BQR (Bandwidth Query Report) representing a state of a communication resource usable by the other communication apparatus, and decides the communication resource used to communicate with the other communication apparatus based on the acquired BQR.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a Continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.17/318,490 filed on May 12, 2021, which claims the benefit of JapanesePatent Application No. 2020-085495, filed May 14, 2020. Theabove-identified applications are hereby incorporated by referenceherein in their entireties.

BACKGROUND Field

The present disclosure relates to a communication technique of awireless LAN.

Description of the Related Art

As a communication standard concerning a wireless LAN (Wireless LocalArea Network), an IEEE802.11 series standard is known. The IEEE802.11axstandard implements improvement of a communication speed under acongested situation using OFDMA (Orthogonal Frequency-Division MultipleAccess), in addition to high peak throughput.

Presently, to further improve the throughput, the 802.11be TG (TaskGroup) is working on a standard subsequent to the IEEE802.11ax standard,following a SG (Study Group) called IEEE802.11 EHT (Extreme or ExtremelyHigh Throughput). As one of measures for throughput improvement aimed atby the TG, a multi-AP coordination configuration has been examined inwhich a plurality of APs (access points) coordinate. To efficientlyoperate the multi-AP coordination configuration, the way the resource ofOFDMA is used is adjusted between an AP and a terminal (STA)(US-2019-0288767).

To implement communication by the multi-AP coordination configuration, aplurality of APs need to collect the information of a resource to beused in a coordinated manner. However, the method has not been clarifiedin the standard. Hence, a collision with communication by anothercommunication apparatus using the same resource may occur, and it may beimpossible to efficiently operate communication by multi-AP coordinationconfiguration.

SUMMARY

Various embodiments of the present disclosure provide a technique forefficiently collecting information concerning a communication resource.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, there is provideda communication apparatus complying with an IEEE802.11 series standardwhich includes: a determination unit configured to determine, based oninformation received from another communication apparatus connected tothe communication apparatus, whether UL MU (Uplink Multiuser)communication of the other communication apparatus is enabled ordisabled; an acquisition unit configured to acquire, from the othercommunication apparatus by a method according to a result of thedetermination, a BQR (Bandwidth Query Report) representing a state of acommunication resource usable by the other communication apparatus; anda decision unit configured to decide the communication resource used tocommunicate with the other communication apparatus based on the acquiredBQR.

Further features of the present disclosure will become apparent from thefollowing description of exemplary embodiments (with reference to theattached drawings).

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows an example of the configuration of a wireless communicationsystem;

FIG. 2 is a schematic view for explaining several resource assignmentconfigurations complying with a multi-AP coordination method;

FIG. 3A shows an example of the hardware configuration of acommunication apparatus;

FIG. 3B shows an example of the functional configuration of thecommunication apparatus;

FIG. 4 is a sequence chart of communication processing (in a case inwhich an STA disables UL MU communication);

FIG. 5 is a sequence chart of communication processing (in a case inwhich an STA enables UL MU communication);

FIG. 6A is a flowchart (1) of processing executed by an AP;

FIG. 6B is a flowchart (2) of processing executed by an AP;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of processing executed by an STA;

FIG. 8 shows a MAC frame format;

FIG. 9 shows an HT Control field format; and

FIG. 10 shows the configuration of a TF (Trigger Frame).

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference tothe attached drawings. Note, the following embodiments are not intendedto limit the scope of the claimed invention. Multiple features aredescribed in the embodiments, but limitation is not made to an inventionthat requires all such features, and multiple such features may becombined as appropriate. Furthermore, in the attached drawings, the samereference numerals are given to the same or similar configurations, andredundant description thereof is omitted.

First Embodiment [System Configuration]

FIG. 1 shows an example of the configuration of a wireless communicationsystem according to one embodiment. The network of a BSS (Basic ServiceSet) 1 (BSS1) managed by an AP (access point) 101 is indicated by acircle 104 of a solid line. The network of a BSS2 managed by an AP 106is indicated by a circle 109 of an alternate long and two short dashedline. In the BSS1, a range where interference from an AP or STAbelonging to another BSS does not exist is indicated by a circle 105 ofa thick solid line. In the BSS2, a range where interference from an APor STA belonging to another BSS does not exist is indicated by a circle110 of an alternate long and short dashed line.

STAs (stations) 102, 103, 107, and 108 that are wireless LAN terminalscan maintain a connection relationship with a plurality of APs. The APs101 and 106 and the STAs 102, 103, 107, and 108 are communicationapparatuses (EHT devices) complying with the IEEE802.11 EHT (Extreme (orExtremely) High Throughput) standard. In addition, the AP 101 and the AP106 each have a multi-AP coordination configuration function. Here, themulti-AP coordination configuration function is a function capable ofimplementing high-speed or stable communication with a connected STA(terminal) by coordinating with another AP as compared to a case in onlyone AP is used. Here, the stable state is a state with an arbitrarycombination of an excellent signal-to-noise ratio, low interference, lowdelay, and low jitter. Various methods are used as techniques ofimplementing this. The methods are JTX (Joint Transmission) using D-MIMO(Distributed Multiple Input Multiple Output), null steering, CoordinatedOFDMA, and Fractional Coordinated OFDMA.

Note that when the multi-AP coordination configuration function is notexecuted by the AP 101 and the AP 106, the AP 101 manages only the BSS1,and the AP 106 manages only the BSS2. For example, the AP 101 and the AP106 manage resource assignment in OFDMA communication and thecommunication timing in the BSS1 and the BSS2, respectively.

A backhaul 100 is a communication means for mutually connecting BSSs andother networks when a plurality of APs that manage the networks ofdifferent BSSs constitute a DS (Distributions System). The backhaul 100may be formed by a wired system such as Ethernet® or a telephone line,or may be formed by a wireless system such as LTE (Long-Term Evolution)or WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access).Alternatively, the backhaul 100 may be formed by a wireless LAN of anIEEE802.11 series standard. If the backhaul 100 is formed by such awireless LAN, it may be the same as or different from a wireless channelused among the APs 101 and 106 and the STAs 102, 103, 107, and 108. Notethat although not illustrated, an STA may be connected to the backhaul100.

Note that the configuration of the wireless communication network shownin FIG. 1 is merely an example for a description. For example, a networkincluding many EHT device and legacy devices (communication apparatusescomplying with the IEEE802.11a/b/g/n/ax standard) in a wider area may beformed. In addition, the arrangement of communication apparatuses is notlimited to that shown in FIG. 1 , and the following argument can beapplied to the positional relationship of various communicationapparatuses as well. Also, the APs 101 and 106 may be Group Owner ofWi-Fi Direct.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view for explaining several communication resourceassignment configurations complying with the multi-AP coordinationmethod, and shows configuration a: Coordinated OFDMA (C-OFDMA), andconfiguration b: Fractional Coordinated OFDMA (FC-OFDMA). Note that as anotation common to configurations a and b in FIG. 2 , the abscissarepresents time, and the ordinate represents a frequency. Here, theabsolute zone length of the time axis and the granularity/unit of timemay change depending on the use case of the multi-AP coordinationconfiguration. For example, a microsecond that is the TU (Time Unit) ofIEEE802.11, a millisecond or second associated with the sensitivity oroperation of a human, or a numerical value or unit larger than these maybe used. The granularity/unit of a frequency axis is, as an example, anRU (Resource Unit) that is the frequency band unit of communication inOFDMA defined by the IEEE802.11ax. However, depending on thecapabilities of APs and STAs, the granularity/unit may be changed to aband (frequency band) usable in Multi-band communication or a channelusable in Multi-channel communication. A rectangle of a solid lineindicates a time axis/frequency region used by the AP 101 (the networkof the BSS1), and a rectangle of an alternate long and short dashed lineindicates a time axis/frequency region used by the AP 106 (the networkof the BSS2).

Also, to explain a C-OFDMA or FC-OFDMA operation, a concept of“interference limited terminal” is introduced. This is also called aninterference limited STA, which is a terminal affected by communicationfrom a BSS to which the terminal itself does not belong. In the networkconfiguration shown in FIG. 1 , both the STA 103 and the STA 108 areinterference limited terminals (interference limited STAs). To thecontrary, a terminal that is not affected by communication from anotherBSS is called a non-interference limited STA. In the networkconfiguration shown in FIG. 1 , both the STA 102 and the STA 107 arenon-interference limited terminals (non-interference limited STAs). Notethat an interference limited terminal will sometime be referred to as anedge STA, and a non-interference limited terminal will sometime bereferred to as a center terminal.

In the C-OFDMA configuration shown by configuration a in FIG. 2 , RUsare clearly divided for a plurality of BSSs (APs and STAs). Thisconfiguration is used when one or more STAs connected include aninterference limited STA (edge terminal). In the network configurationshown in FIG. 1 , interference limited STAs are the STAs 103 and 108,and, for example, the RU used by the AP 101 and the STA 103 forcommunication and that used by the AP 106 and the STA 108 do notoverlap.

In the FC-OFDMA configuration shown by configuration b in FIG. 2 , theRUs used among the plurality of BSSs (APs and STAs) may partially orwholly overlap. This configuration is for non-interference limited STAs(center terminals). In the network configuration shown in FIG. 1 ,non-interference limited STAs are the STAs 102 and 107, and the RU usedby the AP 101 and the STA 102 for communication and that used by the AP106 and the STA 107 overlap partially or wholly. Note that in FIG. 2 ,two rectangles are shifted for the sake of easy understanding, but thesemay completely overlap. Fractional means that a frequency is notcompletely divided, that is, a frequency is fractionally used likeOFDMA.

[Configuration of Communication Apparatus]

FIG. 3A shows an example of a hardware configuration that can commonlybe applied to the APs (APs 101 and 106) and the STAs (STAs 102, 103,107, and 108) that are communication apparatuses according toembodiments of the present invention. As an example of the hardwareconfiguration, the AP (STA) includes a storage unit 301, a control unit302, a functional unit 303, an input unit 304, an output unit 305, acommunication unit 306, and an antenna 307. The storage unit 301 isformed by a memory such as a ROM or a RAM, and stores programsconfigured to perform various kinds of operations to be described laterand various kinds of information such as communication parameters forwireless communication. Note that as the storage unit 301, a storagemedium such as a flexible disk, a hard disk, an optical disk, amagneto-optical disk, a CD-ROM, a CD-R, a magnetic tape, a nonvolatilememory card, or a DVD may be used in addition to the memory such as aROM or a RAM. The storage unit 301 may include a plurality of memories.

The control unit 302 is formed by, for example, at least one of aprocessor such as a CPU or an MPU, an ASIC (Application SpecificIntegrated Circuit), a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), an FPGA (FieldProgrammable Gate Array), and the like. Here, CPU is an acronym forCentral Processing Unit, and MPU is an acronym for Micro ProcessingUnit. The control unit 302 executes a program stored in the storage unit301, thereby controlling the AP (STA). Note that the control unit 302may control the AP (STA) by cooperation of a program stored in thestorage unit 301 and the OS (Operating System). In addition, the controlunit 302 may be formed by a plurality of processors such as a multi-coreprocessor and control the AP (STA). Also, the control unit 302 controlsthe functional unit 303 and executes predetermined processing such as anAP function (STA function), image capturing, printing, or projection.The functional unit 303 is hardware used by the AP (STA) to executepredetermined processing.

The input unit 304 accepts various kinds of operations from the user.The output unit 305 performs various kinds of outputs to the user. Here,the output by the output unit 305 includes at least one of display on ascreen, a voice output by a speaker, and a vibration output. Note thatthe input unit 304 and the output unit 305 may be implemented by onemodule like a touch panel.

The communication unit 306 performs control of wireless communicationcomplying with the IEEE 802.11 EHT standard, control of wirelesscommunication complying with Wi-Fi®, and control of IP (InternetProtocol) communication. Also, the communication unit 306 controls theantenna 307, thereby transmitting/receiving radio signals for wirelesscommunication. The antenna 307 is adaptable to multi-AP coordinationcommunication. For example, the AP can perform D-MIMO (DistributedMultiple Input Multiple Output) transmission for JTX (JointTransmission). In FIG. 3A, only one antenna is shown for the sake ofsimplicity. However, the antenna may be formed by a plurality ofantennas. In general, the number of antennas is a number correspondingto the number of streams. The frequency bands to which the antenna 307is adaptable can include the 6-GHz band scheduled to be introduced inIEEE802.11ax, in addition to the 2.4-GHz band and the 5-GHz band.

FIG. 3B shows an example of a functional configuration that can commonlybe applied to the APs (APs 101 and 106) and the STAs (STAs 102, 103,107, and 108) that are communication apparatuses according toembodiments of the present invention. As an example of the functionalconfiguration, the AP (STA) includes a wireless LAN control unit 311, aUI (User Interface) control unit 312, a schedule adjusting unit 313, aC-OFDMA configuration control unit 314, and a data communicationprocessing unit 315.

The wireless LAN control unit 311 is configured to include circuitsconfigured to transmit/receive radio signals to/from other wireless LANapparatuses (for example, other APs or STAs) via the communication unit306, and programs configured to control these. The wireless LAN controlunit 311 executes communication control for a wireless LAN, such asframe generation, frame transmission, and reception of a radio framefrom another wireless LAN apparatus in accordance with the IEEE802.11standard series. In addition, the wireless LAN control unit 311 has afunction of analyzing a received radio frame and determining, based oninformation included in the radio frame, whether a predeterminedcondition is satisfied.

The UI (User Interface) control unit 312 accepts an operation on theinput unit 304 (FIG. 3A) by the administrator/user (not shown) of the AP(STA) and performs control of transmitting a control signalcorresponding to the operation to each constituent element or output(including display and the like) control for the output unit 305 (FIG.3A). In a state in which the AP (STA) is connected to the STA (AP), theschedule adjusting unit 313 performs control concerning scheduleadjustment concerning a C-OFDMA operation to/from the STA (AP) via thecommunication unit 306. Additionally, the schedule adjusting unit 313confirms whether the current time matches the timing (schedule) ofC-OFDMA communication adjusted with the STA (AP). The C-OFDMAconfiguration control unit 314 performs communication control forimplementing a configuration complying with the above-described C-OFDMAmethod or FC-OFDMA method via the communication unit 306. The datacommunication processing unit 315 performs communication processingconcerning data transmission/reception via the communication unit 306.

[Procedure of Processing of AP and STA]

FIGS. 4 and 5 are sequence charts of processing according to oneembodiment. Here, as one or more STAs, only two STAs, that is, the STA102 and the STA 107 in the network configuration in FIG. 1 are shown.However, terminals such as the STA 103 and the STA 108 may exist. FIGS.4 and 5 are different in whether the STA disables or enables UL MUcommunication, and the method of acquiring a BQR by the AP changesdepending on this.

(1) Case in which STA Disables UL MU Communication

FIG. 4 is a sequence chart of processing in a case in which the STAdisables UL MU communication. First, in F401, the AP 101 is activated.At this time, the AP 101 decides the C-OFDMA configuration method(operation method) and decides a Coordinator AP and a Coordinated AP.The Coordinator AP is an AP that manages the C-OFDMA operation andtransmits a TF (trigger frame) that activates AP coordinationcommunication. In addition, the Coordinated AP is an AP on the managedside, and one or more APs can play the role.

The C-OFDMA configuration method will be described here. The firstmethod is a “static method”. In this method, each AP forming C-OFDMAdecides the group configuration of the C-OFDMA by device setting (forexample, setting by the user) or negotiation. Decision of theCoordinator AP is also performed between the APs. The negotiation andthe decision of the Coordinator AP are performed by, for example,exchange of a Public Action frame. The Action frame includes, forexample, information representing “participation in the C-OFDMA group”or “decision of the Coordinator AP”. Also, the negotiation is performedby, for example, exchange of “Request” and “Response” or exchange of“Indication” and “Confirmation”.

The second method is a “dynamic method”. In this method, an AP that hasacquired an access right to a wireless medium becomes the CoordinatorAP. The AP serving as the Coordinator AP notifies APs (Coordinated APs)on the periphery.

The third method is “static method+dynamic method”. In this method, thegroup of the AP and the STA, which participate in the C-OFDMA, isdecided by the static method, and the Coordinator AP is decided by thedynamic method.

In this embodiment, the C-OFDMA configuration method is the staticmethod (F415 to be described later). After the activation of the AP 101in F401, in F402, the AP 106 is activated. In F403, the AP 101 executesa connection procedure of the IEEE802.11 standard with respect to theSTA 102. In this connection procedure, they can exchange each other'scapability information and operation information by an IE (InformationElement) included in a Management frame of a MAC (Medium Access Control)frame. The IE is newly defined in correspondence with the progress ofIEEE802.11 standardization. For example, an HT Capability element isused in IEEE802.11n, and a VHT Capability element is used inIEEE802.11ac. In addition, an HE Capabilities element is used inIEEE802.11ax, and an EHT Capabilities element is used in IEEE802.11be.Note that the Management frame is a Beacon, Probe Request/Response,Association Request/Response, or Authentication Request/Response frame.

FIG. 8 shows an example of the configuration of the MAC frame of theIEEE802.11 standard and the IE (information element) that is one elementof the Frame Body of the MAC frame (MAC frame format). The frameconfiguration shown in FIG. 8 is a frame configuration adaptable toIEEE802.11be.

In a MAC frame 800, a Frame Control field 801 is formed by subfields 821to 831. In each of Address fields 803, 804, 805, and 807, addresses suchas a BSSID, a transmission source, and a destination are set dependingon the type of the MAC frame (Type subfield 822). An HT Control field809 will be described later with reference to FIG. 9 . A part of a FrameBody field 810 is represented by subfields 841 to 847. A detaileddescription of a Duration/ID field 802, a Sequence Control field 806, aQoS Control field 808, and an FCS (Frame Check Sequence) field 811 willbe omitted.

In the Frame Control field 801, the Protocol Version subfield 821includes two bits representing a Protocol Version, and is “0” in a framecomplying with the IEEE802.11 standard. The Type subfield 822 includestwo bits representing a frame type (Management, Control, or Data). TheSubtype subfield 823 is configured to more finely classify the frametype (Management, Control, or Data). The To DS subfield 824 representsthat the destination of the frame is a DS (Distribution System). TheFrom DS subfield 825 includes a bit representing From DS. A detaileddescription of the More Fragment subfield 826, the Retry subfield 827,the Power Management subfield 828, the More Data subfield 829, theProtected Frame subfield 830, and the +HTC subfield 831 will be omitted.

The subfields 841 to 847 in the Frame Body field 810 represent theconfiguration of the IE (information element) and, more particularly,the configuration of the EHT Capabilities element. Concerning the EHT ofIEEE802.11be, the value of the Element ID subfield 841 follows the valueof the HE Capabilities element of IEEE802.11ax and is set to 255. TheLength subfield 842 represents the length of the information element. Inthe Element ID Extension subfield 843, an EHT Capabilities elementconcerning capability information and an EHT Operation elementconcerning operation information are newly defined.

The configurations of the MAC Capabilities Information subfield 844, thePHY Capabilities Information subfield 845, the Supported EHT-MCS And NSSSet subfield 846, and the PPE (Physical layer Packet Extension)Thresholds subfield 847 are the same as in IEEE802.11ax. In thisembodiment, however, a subfield representing the presence/absence of aC-OFDMA capability, a subfield representing the presence/absence ofsupport for an operation using a BQR (Bandwidth Query Report), and asubfield representing the presence/absence of support for a UL MU(UpLink Multi User) communication function can be defined in the EHT MACCapabilities Information subfield 844. Note that the UL MU communicationfunction is a function of transmitting data from a plurality of STAs(terminals) in the AP direction in accordance with a TF (trigger frame)from an AP. The BQR is information representing the validity of anoperating channel of a BSS with which a STA is associated for every20-MHz band. In the EHT MAC Capabilities Information subfield 844, if,for example, a BQR Support subfield is defined as a subfieldrepresenting the presence/absence of support for the operation using theBQR, the AP sets the bit to “1”, thereby representing that the BQR fromthe STA can be received (support for the operation using the BQR ispresent). In addition, the STA sets the bit to, for example, “1”,thereby representing that it is possible to generate a BQR and notifythe AP of it.

FIG. 9 shows the format of the HT Control field 809 in FIG. 8 (HTControl). The length of this field is 32 bits. A Variant 901 representsa type according to the progress of IEEE802.11 standardization. ABO 902and a B1 903 are two bits used to decide the type. In the example shownin FIG. 9 , an HE (High Efficiency: 802.11ax) and an EHT (Extremely HighThroughput: 802.11be) use the same two bits=11 (B0=1, and B1=1). AnA-Control field 804 includes 30 bits, and includes a Control Listsubfield 905 and a Padding subfield 906. The Control List subfield 905further includes a Control ID subfield 907 and a Control Informationsubfield 908. The Control ID subfield 907 represents the type of theControl List subfield 905, and the Control Information subfield 908includes the contents of the Control ID subfield 907 (a table on thelower side of FIG. 9 ). Here, a subfield representing the OM(Operational Mode) of the Control ID subfield 907=1 is used to changethe operation state of the STA. In the subfield, for example, a valuerepresenting a UL MU disabled/enabled state or a BQR disabled/enabledstate is set.

Referring back to FIG. 4 , in F403, the AP 101 sets an Association ID ofthe STA 102. This ID is used as an STAID to identify each STA in a TF(trigger frame) to be described later.

In F404, the AP 106 executes the connection procedure of the IEEE802.11standard with respect to the STA 107 in accordance with the sameprocedure as in F403. In F405, the AP 101 broadcasts a Beacon frame ofthe IEEE802.11 standard. The AP 101 includes, in the Beacon frame, theC-OFDMA capability of the AP 101 and information representing anoperation disabled/enabled state. In F406, the AP 106 transmits a Beaconframe. As in F405, the Beacon frame includes the C-OFDMA capability ofthe AP 106 and information representing an operation disabled/enabledstate.

In F407, the AP 101 and the STA 102 perform schedule adjustmentconcerning the C-OFDMA operation. As an example of the adjusting method,the STA 102 applies (requests) to the AP for the schedule of the C-OFDMAoperation (including a timing at which the C-OFDMA operation ispossible), and the AP responds to the application (request). As thetypes of the response, “directly accept a schedule from the STA”,“propose a different schedule”, “reject”, and the like exist. When theSTA 102 returns “confirmation” to the response, the AP 101 and the STA102 can share a timing at which they can operate by C-OFDMA or a timingat which the operation is impossible. In F408, the same processing as inF407 is performed between the AP 106 and the STA 107. Communication inF407 and F408 is performed by, for example, a new frame in the PublicAction frame of the MAC frame complying with the IEEE802.11 seriesstandard and exchanging the new frame.

In F409, the STA 102 determines whether “it is the timing of the C-OFDMAoperation”, and also determines whether to “enable UL MU (UplinkMultiuser) communication”. In the sequence shown in FIG. 4 , the STA 102determines to “disable UL MU communication”. In F410, the STA 107performs determination processing similar to F409, and determines to“disable UL MU communication”.

In F411, the STA 102 transmits a frame representing the UL MU disabledstate to the AP 101. For example, in the HT Control field 809 (FIG. 9 )included in the MAC frame (FIG. 7 ), the value of the subfieldrepresenting the OM (Operational Mode) of the Control ID subfield 907=1is set to a value representing the UL MU disabled state (for example,“1” in a predetermined bit). The subfield representing the OM is used tochange the operation state of the STA, as described above. Uponreceiving the frame representing the UL MU disabled state, the AP 101waits for reception of a BQR (Bandwidth Query Report) from the STA 102.In F412, the STA 107 transmits a frame representing the UL MU disabledstate to the AP 106, as in F411. Upon receiving the frame representingthe UL MU disabled state, the AP 106 waits for reception of a BQR fromthe STA 107.

In F413, the STA 102 transmits an unsolicited BQR to the AP 101. Here,unsolicited means that the STA performs the process at the discretion ofthe STA itself without a request from the AP. In F414, the STA 107transmits an unsolicited BQR to the AP 106. The BQR is included as thesubfield of the Control ID subfield 907=5 in the HT Control field 809(FIG. 9 ) included in the MAC frame (FIG. 8 ). The structure of the BQRis introduced from the IEEE802.11ax standard, and the length of theControl Information subfield 908 is 10 bits. Eight bits of these bitsare used to represent the validity of a channel (communication resource)for every 20-MHz band within the operating channel range of 160 MHz. Thevalidity is a value based on an ED-based CCA (clear channel assessmentat the energy level), represents “idle” by “1” and “busy” by “0”. An LSBindicates a lower frequency side, and an MSB indicates a higherfrequency side. Note that a 320-MHz operation has newly been examined inIEEE802.11be. In this case, the length is expanded and expressed by 16bits.

Also, in the processing of F412 and F413, the STA 102 and the STA 107may transmit supplementary information of the BQR. If the channel statefor every 20-MHz is “busy”, the supplementary information represents theinformation of a BSS that uses the channel, that is, “correspondencebetween a BSSID and a channel”. This information can also becommunicated by a new Action frame or an IEEE802.11 data frame.

In F415, the AP 101 and the AP 106 execute a group forming procedure forthe C-OFDMA operation. In this procedure, the AP 101 and the AP 106mutually confirm whether “the C-OFDMA operation is possible with theconnected STA”. Also, the AP 101 and the AP 106 determine whether theSTA 102 and the STA 107 are center terminals or edge terminals. As onemethod of determining whether an STA is an edge terminal, if theexistence of another BSS is recognized by scan of an STA when theexistence of the other BSS cannot be recognized by scan of an AP itself,it is determined that the STA is an edge terminal. Here, the other BSSindicates a BSS managed by an AP that performs the C-OFDMA operationwith an AP.

In F415, if a BSSID is already acquired from a connected STA, the AP 101or the AP 106 may determine whether the BSSID and the BSSID of the APare identical. If the BSSIDs are different, the AP 101 or the AP 106 maydetermine that a BSS that cannot coordinate with the BSS of itselfexists, and perform not the C-OFDMA operation but processing of changingthe operating channel.

In F415, the AP 101 and the AP 106 decide the Coordinator AP. Asdescribed above, in this embodiment, the static method is used as theC-OFDMA configuration method (operation method), and in the exampleshown in FIG. 4 , the following description will be made assuming thatthe AP 101 is the Coordinator AP. The AP 101 serving as the CoordinatorAP acquires the result of determining whether the STA 102 and the STA107 are center terminals or edge terminals.

In F415, the AP 101 and the AP 106 each also decide a policy (ACKpolicy) representing a method of returning an ACK (acknowledgement) ofDL data transmission to the STA 102 and the STA 107. For example, the AP101 and the AP 106 can designate “immediate” to the ACK policy of DLdata to be transmitted. When “immediate” is designated to the ACKpolicy, the STA of the transmission destination can be caused totransmit a BA after the elapse of SIFS.

In F416, the AP 101 decides the assignment of the resource based on theresult of determining whether the STA 102 and the STA 107 are centerterminals or edge terminals. The assignment of the resource is as shownby configuration a and configuration b in FIG. 2 . Since both the STA102 and the STA 107 are center terminals, a resource assignmentconfiguration like configuration b in FIG. 2 is obtained. After thedecision of the resource assignment, the AP 101 transmits a C-OFDMA TFto the AP 106. The TF is a TF transmitted to the AP 106 to perform DL(Downlink) transmission in F417 and F418 synchronously by the AP 101 andthe AP 106 and is a new TF. This TF includes the information of theresource assignment decided in F416, the terminating time of C-OFDMAtransmission, and the like. The format of the TF is similar to that of aTF of IEEE802.11ax shown in FIG. 10 . In this frame, the value of aTrigger Type subfield 1011 in FIG. 10 is 8.

In F417, the AP 101 performs DL data transmission (transmission of adata frame) by C-OFDMA to the STA 102. In F418, the AP 106 performs DLdata transmission by C-OFDMA to the STA 107. The AP 101 and the AP 106perform synchronous control such that the transmission in F417 and F418is performed at a timing after SIFS (Short InterFrame Space) from F416.In F417 and F418, the AP 101 and the AP 106 perform DL data transmissionusing the resource according to the resource assignment decided in F416.

In F419, the STA 102 that has received the data returns a BA (BlockACK). Here, in F420, the AP 106 transmits a BAR (Block ACK Request) tothe STA 107, and in F421, the STA 107 that has received the BAR returnsa BA. The procedure from F419 to F421 complies with the ACK policydecided in F415. In the example shown in FIG. 4 , the AP 101 designates“immediate” to the ACK policy of DL data in F417. For this reason, theSTA 102 transmits the BA after the elapse of SIFS from DL data receptionin F417. On the other hand, the AP 106 designates use of BAR to the ACKpolicy of the DL data in F418. Note that FIG. 4 is merely an example,and the processing of F419 and that of F420 and F421 may be reversed.

In addition, since both the STA 102 and the STA 107 are centerterminals, the AP 106 may not transmit a BAR in F420, and the STA 107may transmit the BA that should be transmitted in F421 at the sametiming as F419. This is because they do not interfere with each othereven if the BA uses a frequency of 20 MHz. However, if another STA(terminal) exists in each BSS, the procedure of BAR and BA as shown inFIG. 4 is used.

(2) Case in which STA Enables UL MU Communication

FIG. 5 is a sequence chart of processing in a case in which the STAenables UL MU communication. Processing of F401 to F410 is similar toFIG. 4 . In this embodiment, however, in the determination of F409 andF410, the STA 102 and the STA 107 determine to “enable UL MUcommunication”.

In F501, the STA 102 transmits a frame representing a UL MU enabledstate to the AP 101. For example, in the HT Control field 809 (FIG. 8 )included in the MAC frame (FIG. 7 ), the value of the subfieldrepresenting the OM (Operational Mode) of the Control ID subfield 907=1is set to a value representing the UL MU enabled state (for example, “0”in a predetermined bit). In F502, the STA 107 transmits a framerepresenting the UL MU enabled state to the AP 106, as in F501.

In F503, the AP 101 transmits a BQRP TF. In F504, the AP 106 transmits aBQRP TF. In F505, the STA 102 transmits a solicited BQR to the AP 101.Solicited means that the STA complies with a request from the AP, asdescribed above. In F506, the STA 107 transmits a solicited BQR to theAP 106.

In F507, the AP 101 and the AP 106 execute a group forming procedure forthe C-OFDMA operation. This procedure is similar to the procedure ofF415 in FIG. 4 . In F508, the AP 101 decides the assignment of theresource based on the result of determining whether the STA 102 and theSTA 107 are center terminals or edge terminals. After the decision ofthe resource assignment, the AP 101 transmits a C-OFDMA TF to the AP106. The processing of F507 is similar to F416 in FIG. 4 .

In F509, the AP 101 performs DL data transmission (transmission of adata frame) by C-OFDMA to the STA 102. The AP 101 includes, in the datatransmission, the format (ACK policy) of a response to the STA and theinformation of the assigned resource to be used. In F510, the AP 106performs DL transmission by C-OFDMA to the STA 107. In F511, the STA 102returns an OFDMA BA to the AP 101. In F512, the STA 107 returns an OFDMABA to the AP 106.

[Operation of AP]

The operation of the AP 101 will be described next with reference toFIGS. 6A and 6B. FIGS. 6A and 6B are flowcharts of processing executedby the AP 101. This processing is executed by the AP 101 when data to betransmitted from an STA (to be simply referred to as an STA in thedescription of FIGS. 6A and 6B) connected to the AP itself to anotherSTA is generated. Assume that processing (schedule adjustment concerningthe C-OFDMA operation) corresponding to F407 in FIG. 4 is alreadyexecuted. The flowcharts shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B can be implementedwhen the control unit 302 of the AP 101 executes a control programstored in the storage unit 301 and executes calculation and processingof information and control of each piece of hardware.

In step S601, the wireless LAN control unit 311 analyzes a framereceived via the communication unit 306 in the processing of F403 orF411 of FIG. 4 and confirms whether the STA is adaptable to UL MU (UpLink Multi User) communication. More specifically, the wireless LANcontrol unit 311 analyzes the received frame, and confirms the MACCapabilities Information subfield 844 and the HT Control field 809.“Adaptable to UL MU communication” represents, for example, a state inwhich the MAC Capabilities Information subfield 844 indicates “presenceof C-OFDMA capability”, and the OM of the Control ID subfield 907=1 doesnot indicate “UL MU disabled” in the HT Control field 809 (a state inwhich “UL MU enabled” is indicated). Otherwise, the wireless LAN controlunit 311 determines that the STA is not adaptable to UL MUcommunication.

If the STA is adaptable to UL MU communication (YES in step S601), theprocess advances to step S602. If the STA is not adaptable to UL MUcommunication (NO in step S601), the process advances to step S603. Instep S602, the wireless LAN control unit 311 decides to receive the BA(Block Ack) from the STA in the MU format, and holds informationrepresenting the decision in the storage unit 301. In step S603, thewireless LAN control unit 311 decides to receive the BA (Block Ack) fromthe STA in the SU (Single User) format, and holds informationrepresenting the decision in the storage unit 301. In step S604, theschedule adjusting unit 313 determines whether it is a timing at whichthe C-OFDMA operation with the STA is possible. As one of determinationmethods, the schedule adjusting unit 313 confirms whether the currenttime matches the schedule of the C-OFDMA operation adjusted with theSTA.

If it is a timing at which C-OFDMA communication is possible (YES instep S604), the process advances to step S605. In step S605, thewireless LAN control unit 311 confirms whether a BQR (Bandwidth QueryReport) from the STA is already received. If the BQR is already received(YES in step S605), the process advances to step S612. If the BQR is notalready received (NO in step S605), the process advances to step S606.In step S606, the wireless LAN control unit 311 determines whether it ispossible to request the STA to transmit a BQR by a TF (trigger frame).This determination is done by analyzing the frame received by theprocessing of F403 in FIG. 4 and confirming whether the STA is adaptableto the BQR by the wireless LAN control unit 311. More specifically, thewireless LAN control unit 311 analyzes the received frame and confirmsthe MAC Capabilities Information subfield 844 and the HT Control field809. “Adaptable to the BQR” represents, for example, a state in whichthe MAC Capabilities Information subfield 844 indicates “presence ofsupport for an operation using a BQR”, and the OM of the Control IDsubfield 907=1 does not indicate “BQR disabled” in the HT Control field809 (a state in which “BQR enabled” is indicated). Otherwise, thewireless LAN control unit 311 determines that the STA is not adaptableto the BQR.

If it is possible to request the STA to transmit a BQR (YES in stepS606), the process advances to step S607. If it is possible to request(NO in step S606), the process advances to step S609. In step S607, thewireless LAN control unit 311 transmits a BQRP (Bandwidth Query ReportPoll) TF. Next, in step S608, the wireless LAN control unit 311 waitsfor reception of a BQR from the STA, and if a BQR is received, theprocess advances to step S612. In step S609, the C-OFDMA configurationcontrol unit 314 determines whether execution of the C-OFDMA function ispossible in a state in which the BQR from the STA is not received. Forexample, if the AP 101 can confirm a free resource by scanning awireless medium by the AP 101 itself or scanning by another AP, theC-OFDMA configuration control unit 314 can determine that execution ofthe C-OFDMA function is possible. Also, for example, the C-OFDMAconfiguration control unit 314 may be configured to determine thatexecution of the C-OFDMA function is possible by setting by theadministrator of the AP 101 via the UI control unit 312.

If execution of the C-OFDMA function is possible (YES in step S609), theprocess advances to step S612. If execution of the C-OFDMA function isnot possible (NO in step S609), the process advances to step S610. Instep S610, the wireless LAN control unit 311 determines whether to waitfor a BQR from the STA. To wait for a BQR from the STA (YES in stepS610), the process returns to step S605. To not wait for a BQR from theSTA (NO in step S610), the AP 101 gives up execution of the C-OFDMAfunction including the connected STA, and the process advances to stepS611. Here, the case in which a BQR from the STA is not waited is, forexample, a case in which a predetermined time has elapsed aftergeneration of data to be transmitted to another STA when starting theprocessing of step S601.

In step S611, the data communication processing unit 315 determines thatcommunication with the STA by C-OFDMA cannot be executed at the currenttiming, and performs communication without coordinating with another AP(AP 106). The processing of step S611 is processing that can beperformed even in a case in which it is determined in step S604 that itis not a timing at which C-OFDMA communication is possible. Note thatprocessing after step S611 does not include control characteristic tovarious embodiments of the present invention, and a description thereofwill be omitted.

In step S612, the C-OFDMA configuration control unit 314 performs groupforming processing for C-OFDMA with another AP (AP 106). This processingis similar to the processing of F415 in FIG. 4 . In step S613, theC-OFDMA configuration control unit 314 determines whether the AP itselfhas become a Coordinator AP or a Coordinated AP. If the AP is aCoordinator AP (YES in step S613), the process advances to step S614. Ifthe AP is a Coordinated AP (NO in step S613), the process advances tostep S615. In step S614, the C-OFDMA configuration control unit 314transmits a C-OFDMA TF. In step S615, the C-OFDMA configuration controlunit 314 receives a C-OFDMA TF.

In step S616, the data communication processing unit 315 confirms, basedon the information stored in the storage unit 301 by the processing instep S602 or S603, whether a BA (Block ACK) from the STA has the MU(Multi User) format. If the BA has the MU format (YES in step S616), theprocess advances to step S617. If the BA has the SU (Single User) format(NO in step S616), the process advances to step S619.

In step S617, the data communication processing unit 315 transmits dataincluding an RU (Resource Unit) designation of the BA to the STA. Instep S618, the data communication processing unit 315 receives an OFDMABA from the STA.

In step S619, the data communication processing unit 315 transmits databy C-OFDMA. Information representing that the ACK policy is “by BAR(Block ACK Request)” is added to this data. In step S620, the datacommunication processing unit 315 transmits a BAR to the STA. In stepS621, the data communication processing unit 315 receives a BAR from theSTA.

The series of C-OFDMA communication processes ends here. After that, ifgeneration of data to the STA is further recognized, the AP 101 repeatsthe processing from step S600.

Note that FIGS. 6A and 6B explain a case in which one STA is connectedto one AP (AP 101). However, a plurality of STAs (terminals) may beconnected to the AP. Not only DL (Down Link) data communication from theAP to the STA but also UP (Up Link) data communication from each STA tothe AP can be controlled similarly. In this case, communication of a TF(see FIG. 9 ) from the AP, UL MU data from each STA, and a Multi-STA BAfrom the AP is performed.

[Operation of STA]

The operation of the STA will be described next with reference to FIG. 7. FIG. 7 is a flowchart of processing executed by the STA 102. Note thatalthough the description of FIG. 7 will be made concerning the STA 102,a similar description can be applied to the STA 103 and the STAs 107 and108 for the AP 106. The flowchart shown in FIG. 7 can be implementedwhen the control unit 302 of the STA 102 executes a control programstored in the storage unit 301 and executes calculation and processingof information and control of each piece of hardware.

In step S701, the C-OFDMA configuration control unit 314 applies(requests) for the operation schedule of C-OFDMA. This processingcorresponds to F407 in FIG. 4 . In step S702, the C-OFDMA configurationcontrol unit 314 receives a response from the AP 101. In step S703, theschedule adjusting unit 313 decides the schedule of the C-OFDMAoperation with the AP 101. This processing corresponds to F407 in FIG. 4. In step S704, the schedule adjusting unit 313 detects a timing atwhich the C-OFDMA operation with the AP 101 is possible. As one ofdetection methods, the schedule adjusting unit 313 confirms whether thecurrent time matches the schedule of the C-OFDMA operation adjusted withthe AP 101.

In step S705, the control unit 302 determines whether to enable the ULMU operation. For example, the control unit 302 determines whether toenable the UL MU operation based on setting by the user of the STA 102via the UI control unit 312, setting in the system, the number ofconnectable STAs in one or more BSSs, and the like. To enable the UL MUoperation (YES in step S705), the process advances to step S706. Todisable the UL MU operation (NO in step S705), the process advances tostep S710.

In step S706, the wireless LAN control unit 311 transmits a notificationof the UL MU enabled state to the AP 101. Note that if the STA 102 hasalready notified the AP 101 of the UL MU enabled state, this processingmay be omitted. In step S707, the wireless LAN control unit 311 receivesa BQRP TF from the AP 101. Next, in step S708, the wireless LAN controlunit 311 transmits a solicited BQRtotheAP 101.

In step S709, the wireless LAN control unit 311 transmits a notificationof the UL MU disabled state to the AP 101. Note that if the STA 102 hasalready notified the AP 101 of the UL MU disabled state, this processingmay be omitted. Next, in step S710, the wireless LAN control unit 311transmits an unsolicited BQRtotheAP 101.

[Configuration of Trigger Frame]

FIG. 10 shows the configuration of a TF (Trigger Frame). The TF is aframe introduced from IEEE802.11ax, and indicates an activation timingneeded for a plurality of STAs (terminals) to simultaneously transmitframes to an AP, wireless channel information using the frame, and thelike.

In a TF 1000, a Frame Control field 1001 is a field common to theIEEE802.11 series. In this embodiment, a value indicating that the frameis a trigger frame of IEEE802.11ax is stored. The length is 2 octets(bytes). A detailed description of a Duration field 1002, an RA(Receiver Address) field 1003, and a TA (Transmitter Address) field 1004will be omitted. A Common Info field 1005 indicates information commonto a plurality of STAs that are the destination of the TF. A detailedconfiguration of the Common Info field 1005 is shown in the middle ofFIG. 10 . A Per User Info field 1006 indicates individual informationfor each STA as the destination of the TF. The length of the field is 5octets or more. A Padding field 1007 is used to give a time to an STAgroup that has received the TF. In the IEEE802.11 standard, the AP candecide the time based on the value of a MinTrigProcTime requested fromeach STA. In general, a padding corresponding to the maximum value ofMinTrigProcTime requested from the plurality of STAs as the destinationof the TF is used. A detailed description of an FCS (Frame CheckSequence) 1008 will be omitted.

In the configuration of the Common Info field 1005 shown in the middleof FIG. 10 , details of a Trigger Type subfield 1011 are as shown in thetable on the lower side of FIG. 10 . For example, if the TF is a C-OFDMATF, the value of the Trigger Type subfield 1011 is 8. A Length subfield1012 indicates a length corresponding to the type of the Trigger Typesubfield 1011. A Trigger Type dependent subfield 1013 indicates adescription corresponding to the type of the Trigger Type subfield 1011.

As described above, when collection and assignment of informationconcerning the resource are coordinately performed by the AP and theSTA, an effect of implementing fast and efficient wireless communicationby the multi-AP coordination configuration can be obtained. It istherefore possible to implement improvement of the use efficiency of awireless medium, and the communication speed and stability of the entiresystem and individual devices.

Note that in the above-described embodiment, an operation of performingAP coordination in the DL (Downlink) based on a BQR has been described.However, an embodiment of an UL (Uplink) is also possible. For example,the AP acquires, from the STA, a BSR (Buffer State Report) representingthe data amount in the AP direction (that is, UL) and the type of thedata (an access category such as video or audio). After recognizing thestate of the resource based on the BQR, the AP can perform resourceassignment for UL based on the BSR by the TF (trigger frame) shown inFIG. 9 .

OTHER EMBODIMENTS

Embodiment(s) of the present invention can also be realized by acomputer of a system or apparatus that reads out and executes computerexecutable instructions (e.g., one or more programs) recorded on astorage medium (which may also be referred to more fully as a‘non-transitory computer-readable storage medium’) to perform thefunctions of one or more of the above-described embodiment(s) and/orthat includes one or more circuits (e.g., application specificintegrated circuit (ASIC)) for performing the functions of one or moreof the above-described embodiment(s), and by a method performed by thecomputer of the system or apparatus by, for example, reading out andexecuting the computer executable instructions from the storage mediumto perform the functions of one or more of the above-describedembodiment(s) and/or controlling the one or more circuits to perform thefunctions of one or more of the above-described embodiment(s). Thecomputer may comprise one or more processors (e.g., central processingunit (CPU), micro processing unit (MPU)) and may include a network ofseparate computers or separate processors to read out and execute thecomputer executable instructions. The computer executable instructionsmay be provided to the computer, for example, from a network or thestorage medium. The storage medium may include, for example, one or moreof a hard disk, a random-access memory (RAM), a read only memory (ROM),a storage of distributed computing systems, an optical disk (such as acompact disc (CD), digital versatile disc (DVD), or Blu-ray Disc (BD)™),a flash memory device, a memory card, and the like.

While embodiments of the present disclosure have been described withreference to exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that theinvention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments. Thescope of the following claims is to be accorded the broadestinterpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalentstructures and functions.

1. (canceled)
 2. An access point apparatus complying with an IEEE802.11series standard, comprising: at least one memory that stores a set ofinstructions; and at least one processing circuit, wherein thecommunication device is caused, by the at least processing circuitexecuting the instructions and/or the at least processing circuit itselfoperating, to: determine, based on information received from a stationapparatus, whether a Uplink Multiuser (UL MU) communication function isenabled or disabled in the station apparatus; acquire, from the stationapparatus, a Bandwidth Query Report (BQR) representing a state of acommunication resource usable by the station apparatus, by transmittinga BQR poll (BQRP) to the station apparatus in a case where the UL MUcommunication function is enabled in the station apparatus; and decidethe communication resource used to communicate with the stationapparatus based on the acquired BQR.
 3. The access point apparatusaccording to claim 2, wherein in a case where information representingthat the BQR is supported, and the BQR is enabled, is received from thestation apparatus, the access point apparatus transmits the triggerframe.
 4. The access point apparatus according to claim 2, wherein in acase where information representing that the UL MU communication issupported, and the UL MU communication is enabled, is received from thestation apparatus, the access point apparatus determines that the UL MUcommunication function of the station apparatus is enabled, andotherwise, determines that the UL MU communication function of thestation apparatus is disabled.
 5. The access point apparatus accordingto claim 2, wherein when the access point apparatus performscoordination communication with another access point apparatus bycoordinately using a predetermined frequency band, the access pointapparatus decides the communication resource used to communicate withthe station apparatus and the other access point apparatus based on theBQR acquired from the station apparatus and a BQR acquired from theother access point apparatus.
 6. A control method of an access pointapparatus complying with an IEEE802.11 series standard, comprising:determining, based on information received from a station apparatus,whether an Uplink Multiuser (UL MU) communication function is enabled ordisabled in the station apparatus; acquiring, from the stationapparatus, a Bandwidth Query Report (BQR) representing a state of acommunication resource usable by the station apparatus, by transmittinga BQR poll (BQRP) to the station apparatus in a case where the UL MUcommunication function is enabled in the station apparatus; and decidingthe communication resource used to communicate with the stationapparatus based on the acquired BQR.
 7. A non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium storing a computer program for causinga computer to execute a control method of an access point apparatuscomplying with an IEEE802.11 series standard, the method comprising:determining, based on information received from a station apparatus,whether an Uplink Multiuser (UL MU) communication function is enabled ordisabled in the station apparatus; acquiring, from the stationapparatus, a Bandwidth Query Report (BQR) representing a state of acommunication resource usable by the station apparatus, by transmittinga BQR poll (BQRP) to the station apparatus in a case where the UL MUcommunication function is enabled in the station apparatus; and decidingthe communication resource used to communicate with the stationapparatus based on the acquired BQR.
 8. A station apparatus complyingwith an IEEE802.11 series standard, comprising: at least one memory thatstores a set of instructions; and at least one processing circuit,wherein the communication device is caused, by the at least processingcircuit executing the instructions and/or the at least processingcircuit itself operating, to: determine whether the station apparatusenables or disables an Uplink Multiuser (UL MU) communication function;make a notification based on a result of the determination to an accesspoint apparatus; and transmit, to the access point apparatus, aBandwidth Query Report (BQR) representing a state of a communicationresource usable by the station after the notification, in response toreception of a BQR poll (BQRP) from the access point apparatus in a casewhere the UL MU communication function is enabled.
 9. The stationapparatus according to claim 8, wherein the computer-readableinstruction causes, when executed by the one or more processors, thestation apparatus to receive a trigger frame for requesting transmissionof the BQR, wherein in a case where it is notified that the UL MUcommunication function is enabled, the station apparatus transmits theBQR to the access point apparatus in accordance with reception of thetrigger frame.
 10. A control method of a station apparatus complyingwith an IEEE802.11 series standard, comprising: determining whether thestation apparatus enables or disables an Uplink Multiuser (UL MU)communication function; performing a notification based on a result ofthe determination to an access point apparatus; and transmitting, to theaccess point apparatus, a Bandwidth Query Report (BQR) representing astate of a communication resource usable by the station after thenotification, in response to reception of a BQR poll (BQRP) from theaccess point apparatus in a case where the UL MU communication functionis enabled.
 11. A non-transitory computer-readable storage mediumstoring a computer program for causing a computer to execute a controlmethod of a station apparatus complying with an IEEE802.11 seriesstandard, the method comprising: determining whether the stationapparatus enables or disables an Uplink Multiuser (UL MU) communicationfunction; performing a notification based on a result of thedetermination to an access point apparatus; and transmitting, to theaccess point apparatus, a Bandwidth Query Report (BQR) representing astate of a communication resource usable by the station after thenotification, in response to reception of a BQR poll (BQRP) from theaccess point apparatus in a case where the UL MU communication functionis enabled.